Lamezia Terme

Lamezia Terme
Comune
Città di Lamezia Terme
View of Nicastro
View of Nicastro
Coat of arms of Lamezia Terme
Coat of arms
Lamezia Terme is located in Italy
Lamezia Terme
Lamezia Terme
Location within Italy
Lamezia Terme is located in Calabria
Lamezia Terme
Lamezia Terme
Location within Calabria
Coordinates: 38°58′N 16°18′E / 38.967°N 16.300°E / 38.967; 16.300
CountryItaly
RegionCalabria
ProvinceCatanzaro (CZ)
FrazioniAcquafredda, Bella Di Lamezia Terme, Caronte, Fronti, Gabella, San Pietro Lametino, Zangarona, Acquadauzano, Agli, Annunziata, Bastioni Di Malta, Bosco Amatello II, Bosco Amatello Iv, Bucolia, Bucolia Superiore III, Cafarone, Cantarelle, Carrà Cosentino I, Carrà Cosentino II, Carrà Cosentino V, Case Caria, Case Valenzi II, Case Vescio, Censi, Crozzano, Cuturella, Felicetta, Ficarella, Ianipari I, Lagani III, Lamezia Golfo, Magolà, Marinella, Marrano, Maruca, Miglierina, Mitoio I, Mitoio II, Muretto, Pane, Piano Luppino, Prato, Priano, Richetti I, Richetti II, Richetti III, San Minà, Sant'Ermia, Santa Domenica, Santa Eufemia Vetere, Santa Maria, Schieno Vieste, Serra, Serra Castagna, Spineto, Telara, Vallericciardo Inferiore, Vallericciardo Superiore, Verità I, Vonio, Zinnavo
Government
 • MayorMario Murone (Centre-right independent)
Area
 • Total
162.43 km2 (62.71 sq mi)
Elevation
216 m (709 ft)
Population
 (2026)
 • Total
67,005
 • Density412.52/km2 (1,068.4/sq mi)
DemonymLametini
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
88046
Dialing code0968
Patron saintSt. Peters and Paul
Saint day29 June
WebsiteOfficial website

Lamezia Terme (Italian pronunciation: [laˈmɛttsja ˈtɛrme]), commonly called Lamezia, is a city and municipality (comune) in the province of Catanzaro in the region of Calabria in southern Italy, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) northeast of Reggio Calabria and 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Catanzaro. It has 67,005 inhabitants.

History

The municipality of Lamezia Terme was formally created on 4 January 1968. Its territory includes those of the former municipalities of Nicastro, Sambiase and Sant'Eufemia Lamezia.

Nicastro

Nicastro's origins trace back to the 9th century, when Calabria was part of the Byzantine Empire, when a fortress called Neo Castrum ("New Castle") was created. A great Benedictine abbey, St. Eufemia, was founded here in 1062 by the Norman count Robert Guiscard. It was for a long time a fief of the Caracciolo family and, later, to the D'Aquino. The city was nearly destroyed after an earthquake in 1638 (more than 100 inhabitants died), and the abbey was turned into ruin. The castle, built by the Normans and enlarged by Emperor Frederick II and the Angevine kings, crumbled down. Floods and a further earthquake followed in the 18th century.

Until the 18th century, in Nicastro and its surroundings sericulture was a very widespread and prosperous activity, so much so that five thousand pounds of raw silk were produced every year. According to the historian Giuseppe Maria Galanti, at the end of the 18th century, sericulture alongside the cultivation of mulberry trees for the breeding of silkworms were still practiced, however there was a remarkable decline in the production.

Nicastro experienced the highest rate of emigration during the late 19th and the early 20th century (some 8,000 citizens), as well as after the Second World War.

Sambiase

British Museum
Gold diadem from the Sant'Eufemia Treasure in the British Museum

The baths of Sambiase are mentioned in the Roman itinerary Tabula Peutingeriana, indicating the village was an important destination of the time. A library edition of the map is kept at the Lamezia Terme Town Library in Lamezia Terme in its historical and specialist section, the Casa del Libro Antico (House of the Ancient Book).[citation needed]

But Sambiase already existed during the ancient Greek period, first with the name of Melea (here they are placed in fact its ancient boundaries), and then Terina (of which numerous coins have been found again in the fraction Acquafredda and also the Sant'Eufemia Treasure preserved in the British Museum). With the fall of the ancient Roman empire, Turres was abandoned and devastated by the Ostrogoths.


Notable figures born in Sambiase include the politician Giovanni Nicotera, the philosopher Francesco Fiorentino, and the poet [Franco Costabile].

Sant'Eufemia Lamezia

The current Sant'Eufemia Lamezia corresponds to the ancient city location. The most ancient settlement was the Greek city of Terina, whose ruins were excavated in 1997. The city of Terina is linked to the myth of Ligea, one of the three Sirens of Homer's Odyssey. Ancient coins have been found, on which Ligea's face is imprinted, in some she is sitting on a stone, while playing ball and in others she appears filling an amphora with the water, coming out of a lion's mouth.

Other material evidence of the presence of an ancient settlement in the area of Sant'Eufemia dates back to 1865, when a gold diadem and a treasure of jewels of the 4th century BC were found by chance. At the end of the same century, it was sold to the British Museum of London, where it is still preserved today.

Sant'Eufemia Lamezia (nowadays Sant'Eufemia Vetere) was created upon a hill not long after the 1638 earthquake. The current quarter was built in the Fascist era after the draining of a marshy area.

Geography

Lamezia is located on the eastern border of the coastal plain commonly called Piana di Sant'Eufemia, which was created by draining a wide marshy area.

The municipality borders with Conflenti, Curinga, Falerna, Feroleto Antico, Gizzeria, Maida, Martirano Lombardo, Nocera Terinese, Platania, San Pietro a Maida and Serrastretta.

Climate

Climate data for Lamezia Terme (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 14.4
(57.9)		 14.5
(58.1)		 16.4
(61.5)		 18.8
(65.8)		 22.7
(72.9)		 26.6
(79.9)		 29.0
(84.2)		 29.9
(85.8)		 27.1
(80.8)		 23.6
(74.5)		 19.4
(66.9)		 15.7
(60.3)		 21.5
(70.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)		 9.8
(49.6)		 11.7
(53.1)		 14.1
(57.4)		 17.9
(64.2)		 21.8
(71.2)		 24.2
(75.6)		 24.8
(76.6)		 21.9
(71.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 14.6
(58.3)		 11.1
(52.0)		 16.7
(62.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5)		 5.1
(41.2)		 6.9
(44.4)		 9.4
(48.9)		 13.2
(55.8)		 16.9
(62.4)		 19.4
(66.9)		 19.8
(67.6)		 16.6
(61.9)		 13.5
(56.3)		 9.8
(49.6)		 6.5
(43.7)		 11.9
(53.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 90
(3.5)		 109
(4.3)		 79
(3.1)		 68
(2.7)		 37
(1.5)		 21
(0.8)		 12
(0.5)		 18
(0.7)		 37
(1.5)		 100
(3.9)		 101
(4.0)		 97
(3.8)		 769
(30.3)
Source 1: Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale
Source 2: Il Meteo (precipitation)

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
186118,282—    
187121,226+16.1%
188122,847+7.6%
190129,372+28.6%
191130,167+2.7%
192135,381+17.3%
193140,298+13.9%
193641,627+3.3%
195152,180+25.4%
196153,738+3.0%
197156,018+4.2%
198163,989+14.2%
199170,114+9.6%
200170,501+0.6%
201170,336−0.2%
202167,413−4.2%
Source: ISTAT

As of 2026, the population is 67,005, of which 49.6% are male, and 50.4% are female. Minors make up 15.9% of the population, and seniors make up 23.0%.

Immigration

As of 2025, immigrants make up 9.7% of the population. The 5 largest foreign countries of birth are Morocco, Romania, Ukraine, Bangladesh, and Switzerland.

Main sights

District San Teodoro with Norman-Swabian castle
The Bastion of Malta in Lamezia (1550)

Economy

Agriculture

Lamezia Terme has a deep-rooted agricultural tradition, known for the production of different varieties of typical Mediterranean crops. The most popular productions are:

Industry

The "Papa Benedetto XVI" industrial area covers an area of about 1,100 hectares and is the largest of the South after the one in Bagnoli. The typical industry produces local red clay pottery.

Sport

Vigor Lamezia is the local football team, currently playing at a regional level.

Transport

The central location of Lamezia Terme in Calabria has made it the main transport hub of the region. The city is situated adjacent to the A2 Salerno-Reggio Calabria Motorway, and the state road 288 runs to Catanzaro from Lamezia.

The central railway station, on the main line leading from Reggio to Naples, is a major terminal for goods traffic. Secondary branches connect to Catanzaro and Crotone.

Lamezia is the site of the Lamezia Terme International Airport, built in 1976. The airport has both national and international connections.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
  2. 1 2 3 "Resident population". ISTAT.
  3. ↑ Pititto, Giovanni (2014). Archivio storico della Calabria (in Italian). Vol. 4. Luigi Pellegrini Editore. ISBN 978-8868222130.
  4. ↑ Galanti, Giuseppe Maria (2008). Giornale di viaggio in Calabria (in Italian). Rubbettino. ISBN 9788849819052.
  5. ↑ British Museum Collection
  6. ↑ Lycophron, Alexandra 724.
  7. ↑ "Category:Coins of Terina". Wikimedia Commons. 2021-01-07. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  8. ↑ Williams, Dyfri (1998). Il Tesoro di Sant'Eufemia. Gioielli lametini al British Museum (in Italian). Rome: Donzelli ed. ISBN 9788886175395.
  9. ↑ "Valori climatici normali in Italia". Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  10. ↑ "Clima Lamezia Terme - Medie climatiche" (in Italian). ilmeteo.it. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  11. ↑ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-11-12.
  12. ↑ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
  13. ↑ "Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship". ISTAT.
  14. ↑ "Lamezia Terme – Il castello". Lameziastorica.it. Archived from the original on 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2013-03-26.
  15. ↑ Scaramuzzino, Maria (14 November 2018). "Lamezia antica, il rione di San Teodoro e il Castello dove dimorò Federico II" (in Italian). Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Museo Archeologico Lametino, Lamezia Terme". Info and Contacts on Artsupp. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  17. ↑ "Artworks: Classical Section – Room 1. Red-figure hydría from Cerzeto – Artist". Artsupp (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  18. ↑ Panarello, M. (2010). "Architettura e decorazione nelle dimore nobiliari calabresi del '600 e '700". In Fagiolo, Marcello (ed.). Atlante tematico del Barocco in Italia. Residenze nobiliari. Italia meridionale (in Italian). De Luca editori. pp. 112–124. ISBN 978-88-8016-689-4.
  19. ↑ "Scultore | Lamezia Terme, CZ | Carnevali Maurizio". www.mauriziocarnevali.it. Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2021-01-14.
  20. ↑ Giuseppe Isnardi; Giovanni Perez; Giuseppe Paladino. "NICASTRO in "Enciclopedia Italiana" (1934)" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 February 2021.